'Lil Zucchini Mistake Bites

What should have been a baked, airy & savory puff ended up becoming fried, airy & savory puffs. They taste really good and they are so addictive. Hubby will love these. I almost ate them all.












Serves 24 bites

* 1 cup AP flour
* 1 stick butter
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup water
* 4 eggs, room temperature
* 2 zucchini, seeded, grated, salted and squeezed dry
* 1 cup Locatelli Cheese, grated
* Pepper to taste

1. In saucepan add water, butter and bring to a simmer. With the burner on low, add the flour and with a wooden spoon (not a whisk) mix until the paste pulls away from the sides and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes to remove any flour taste.
2. Immediately move paste to food processor and while on, add 1 egg at a time until all are incorporated. Add zucchini and cheese and pulse until mixed in. (If you don't have a food processor you can turn the heat off of saucepan and mix 1 egg at a time with a wooden spoon, adding another when there is no visible signs of glistening egg left). Remove paste from processor bowl to pastry bag or large zip bag.
3. I refrigerated the paste for 4 hours before frying.
4. In deep heavy sauce pan or electric fryer at 375F squeeze in or drop in 1 tablespoon squirts of paste. Fry till bottom is golden brown and flip over for other side, about 3 minutes on each.
5. Remove to paper towel lined pan and sprinkle with sea salt (preferably) or kosher. Can refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve and heat in 350F oven for 10-15 minutes before serving,

A little honey mustard or ranch dip, even ketchup would be ok, but alone they are at their best.

Tonight is hamburger night and along with the other recipes I made and tested I also made dough for burger buns. I am tired of cooking, washing dishes and typing.

Pea Pesto with Homemade Raviolis

We went to our little local framers market this Saturday and I bought a few interesting items I have seen on TV but never tried. One was a romanesco broccoli (I have no idea what to do with it) and the other was an 8-ball zucchini (do I stuff it?).

I did get some fresh garlic, small new red potatoes, small red onions and English peas. I can't remember the last time I shucked a pea. I blanched and refrigerated them for pea raviolis or pea pesto with fresh pasta. Either way I have to make pasta dough today.

I have summer squash recipes to develop and test today and a goat cheese torta from Mario that I want to taste before I bring it to a picnic.

Looks like my processor will get a workout today.



















Pea Pesto

* 1 cup fresh peas
* 1 cup parsley
* 1/2 cup mint & basil
* 2 tbls lemon juice
* 1 tbls capers, drained
* 1/3 cup EVOO
* 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

Process everything in a blender till a paste.

I will be serving this with the raviolis so I am thinning it out with cream, capers, vegetable broth and EVOO if needed.
Cheese is optional but I am roasting sliced portabello mushrooms. What ever is not eaten I will put on my burger tomorrow night.

Tomorrow I have to make a mozzarella and ricotta dumpling dish, profiteroles, make hamburger buns for dinner, mignon my salmon steak for Thursday and stuff a zucchini....sigh.

All about baked clams

Hubby took Friday afternoon off to visit his Mom because we weren't sure she was doing as well as she should have been and we wanted a surprise visit so the staff wouldn't know we were coming.
Caring for the elderly is a waking up experience because you know, soon it's your turn. Anyways...
We had a very encouraging visit and on the way home it was late and I just didn't have anything defrosted or prepared for dinner so we stopped at a local Italian place for some food. I ordered the clams oreganata and crab stuffed snapper for dinner and besides the saltiness of the food, I forgot how much I liked baked whole clams. Usually I buy the chopped clams and make a stuffed clam shell. I just love clams.
Seems everyone is confused about oreganata vs. casino, so I decided to do some research on my own.
Here's what I found out:
Clams Casino is bacon, garlic, wine, red peppers, spices and it's baked in the oven.
Clams Oreganata is bread crumbs and oregano and garlic, etc. that is either added after the clams are steamed and tossed together or it can be lightly packed onto a whole clam and baked in the oven.

I made my own on the grill on Saturday along with fresh oysters and lobster.
First you shuck the clams, saving the juice. To the juice I added fresh herbs from my garden (oregano, chives, parsley, lemon thyme) unseasoned fine bread crumbs, lemon juice and zest, roasted garlic olive oil to moisten and grated cheese. I took about a soup spoon of filling and covered each of 6 clams with it, brushed the tops with melted butter and put them on the grill along with the lobster.

YUM.

Some grilled bread, a touch of wasabi for a nice kick, squeeze of fresh lemon, some white wine and we had a very nice dinner at home for a quarter of the price.

Sunday was so oppressive that I made just sausage and ziti (with my canned sauce) and we ate in the air conditioning.

Shrimp with Chermoula Sauce

Does anyone know what kind of sauce Chermoula is? First of all, it's Moroccan, well North African to be exact.
I am on a Moroccan kick this month since hubby found out he works with a man from Morocco. He was nice enough to give us Harissa to use in my cooking.
There are many versions of Chermoula made, each house has it's own recipe handed down from generation to generation. Almost like pasta sauce.

In Morocco they use it for fish, which is how I am going to use it.
I do not have preserved lemons. I would love to make them myself but it calls for thin shinned lemons or spring lemons and I can only get the thick skinned type here in the NE.
I will probably buy a jar next time I go to a specialty store, my Whole Foods doesn't carry it.
I will use the zest and juice from 1 lemon instead.
Recipe calls for marinade and grill sauce but I am also extending it to include dipping sauce.
I added an egg yolk to the processor while making the paste. It has the consistency of mayonnaise but kicked up a few notches.........lol.

My Chermoula Sauce

* Zest and juice of one lemon
* 2 garlic cloves
* 3 tbls flat-leaf parsley
* 3 tbls cilantro
* 1/8 tsp saffron threads
* 1/2 tsp paprika
* 1/8 tsp cayenne
* 12 tsp cumin
* 3 tbls olive oil
* Lemon wedges, to serve

* 4 x-large (16-20) shrimps per person.

Process all ingredients.
Add 1 egg yolk if looking for a mayonnaise-type sauce.



My take on shrimp and grits....lol. I cooled the polenta in a mini muffin tin and circled the shrimp around each one.




I will baste them on the grill with the Chermoula sauce and serve it with roasted broccoli on the side.
I love polenta in any form, but especially firm and grilled.
In the winter I bake it with grated cheese over it.
YUM!!

I am addicted to recipe contests....

I am not good at them, but I love the process.
I just finished one for cherries. I can share it with you now that it's posted.


1 1/2 cups of Ruby or Tawny Port
1/2 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, unsweetened
1 large shallot, chopped
2-3 springs of thyme
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbls whole peppercorns
2 tbls unsalted butter

Boil all but the butter until reduce to 1/3 cup and pour into food processor.


Process just to break up solids and pour into fine-mesh strainer. Using spoon or spatula, press on the solids to extract all the liquids (don't forget the bottom of the strainer, there is always something hiding there).


Swirl, do not whisk, the butter into the sauce using the same pan (I hate doing dishes).


Refrigerate till use. Will keep for 2-3 weeks tightly covered in a container.


Although I use it for pork and beef tenderloins, I have used it for shrimp & scallops, duck and chicken and roasted butternut squash.

Stuffed Yellow and Green Squash

I have seen these done many different ways but I don't think they have ever been stuffed with kasha. You have heard of it, right?


It's buckwheat groats. You can buy it in 3 different cuts. Actually it is a grain, like oats and in Europe they make cereal from it. It is thousands of years old and it's more common in the Jewish community. It is often paired with farfalle and mushrooms for a dish called Kasha Varnishkes.
Buckwheat is one of the best flours and grains you could eat, especially for a diabetic because it contains the least amount of sugars and it's got a low GI.
Instead of rice or pasta, I am using it to stuff the squash. It also makes a great stuffing for cabbage rolls, peppers (like a picadillo) and if you make it Mexican (with chilies) you can layer it with Edam cheese, meat, cheese, etc. and bake it for a really good dip for tortilla chips.





With a melon baller or a metal measuring spoon, remove the flesh from the courgettes.
Save the insides, chop and add to the onions which we will saute.









Stuffed Squash
makes 4 servings

* 1/2 a medium sweet onion (I used a Vidallia)
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* chopped inside flesh from squash
* 2 cups good chicken broth
* 1 cup large cut Kasha
* 1 pound chop meat, cooked
* 1 (280z) can crushed tomatoes
* 1 bay leaf
* salt & pepper
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp coriander
* 1/4 tsp cloves & allspice
* 1/2 cup water to thin it out if needed

After the pot has simmered for 20 minutes, cool and measure out enough for your amount of squash.
I will be adding ricotta, mascarpone cheese and Locatelli cheese, so I will use about 1 cup of stuffing.

You don't have to add the cheese but it's always better with good cheeses. Before baking I will sprinkle some mozzarella over and bake for 20 minutes until cheese is browned.

This was excellent. So healthy but tasty. An excellent way to try kasha for the first time. The kids won't even know.

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Spinach & Eggplant Pesto

I grilled one medium-sized eggplant with the skin on, then peeled it off. That gave me about 3/4 cups, to that I added 3/4 cups of chopped, cooked, squeezed dry, spinach I had left-over.
In a food processor to the eggplant & spinach I added all the usual suspects...garlic (3 cloves), basil (1/2 cup), parsley (1/2 cup), olive oil (1/2 cup and pine nuts (1/4 cup) and made a pesto.

Remove to a bowl and add the Locatelli cheese....do not process the cheese, any heat (even blending heat) changes the taste of cheese (about 1 cup grated), 1 medium chopped fresh tomato and ricotta cheese (1/2 cup).

Using the pasta water to thin the pesto out, just before serving I added last minute grated cheese and tossed with thin linguine.

There are things I learned about pestos, any pesto. You need raw garlic, not roasted or powdered....raw.
Same principle in cooked foods applies to raw foods...you need a variance of tastes to make a well balanced pesto, somewhat like the ....sweet, sour, bitter, salty theory.
Sweet...ricotta & tomato
Sour...olive oil
Bitter...eggplant & spinach
Salty...grated cheese

You must taste the pesto as you prepare it, adding more of this and that until you taste each ingredient equally. I hate when I get a pesto at a restaurant and its all garlic or thinned with lots of cheap cheese. Making Pesto is as much an art as making a perfect sauce. That's why food scientists make great chefs.

That's my say on Pesto.

Ciliegie Giubileo Budino

This recipe is for a contest, theme being "cherries", so I made an Italian semolina pudding.....Cherries Jubilee style.
I had to taste it and it's light and sweet and just enough for dessert, not over the top. The best part is, it's all done in a stand mixer in the same bowl. Took me all of 15 minutes for prep time and 35 to bake.
I will be making this all year using whatever fruits are currently in season, figs next, then pears and apples and cranberries and..........well you get the picture. Hubby will love this, he loves puddings.


Serves 8
Jubilee Sauce:

* 2 cups pitted, sweet cherries
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1 pinch Salt
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon fesh lemon zest
* 1 tablespoon Kirsch, Cherry Brandy, or Brandy

Budino (Pudding):

* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
* 3/4 cups sugar + 2 tbls + 4 Tbls
* 4 eggs, separated
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cake melted, unsalted butter
* 3/4 cakes Buttermilk
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup Semolina Flour
* 1/3 cup Cake Flour
* 1 tablespoon Kirsch or brandy

1. Place cherries, sugar and water in medium saucepan. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add salt, lemon juice, zest and Kirsch. Simmer until thickened. Can be pureed or left chunky. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
2. Grease 8 (4oz) ramekins with butter. Sprinkle them with sugar to evenly coat. Tap out the excess and place ina baking dish large enough to hold all ramekins at least 1/2" apart.
3. With mixer, beat whites, pinch of salt and 2 tbls sugar until stiff peaks. Remove.
4. In same bowl, mix yolks and 3/4 cup sugar until very light yellow. Add extract and the melted butter, then beat in buttermilk.
5. In small bowl combine flours, and gradually add that to egg mixture, beating lightly.
6. Fold whites into batter. Divide evenly amongst ramekins and add enough hot water to come 1/3 of the way up. Cover entire dish with foil and bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes.

7. Remove foil CAREFULLY because of steam escaping and continue to bake for an additional 5-7 minutes until slightly golden brown. Remove to rack and cool.
8. Invert onto bowl or deep dish and spoon cherry sauce over the top. Serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

You know I substituted Splenda No Calorie for the sugar and Cool Whip FREE for the whipped cream and I sprayed the ramekins with PAM instead of butter

How to grill a very thin crust pizza

Saturday night was pizza night. I had made the roasted garlic dough on Friday and refrigerated it overnight.
I used my basic Spago dough recipe and added roasted garlic and the oil it was roasted in to the mixture and with a dough hook in my Kitchenaid on medium speed I kneaded it for at least 8 minutes.
Put it in a bowl, covered with saran wrap and left it in the sun to rise. Punched it down, slipped it into a gallon zip bag and into the refridge.
While the coals were heating up I took a quarter of the dough and stretched it out to a size that was 1" smaller then my peel(about 12x12).


I filled both coal holders and placed them on a "V" away from me. I use both Kingsford and natural coals. The Kingsford's on the bottom and the natural coals on the top because they burn hotter.


Once the coals were gray I slide the dough onto the grill using the peel to center it. It only takes 3 minutes to grill on the bottom. Once it releases easily from the grill I put it on a platter and repeat with the second crust.


Flip the dough over so that the grilled side is up, facing you, and decorate your pizza.


Using the peel, slide the pizza onto the grill and cover it. Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is crunchy around the edge.



I have been grilling pizzas for over 20 years now and this method is foolproof.



I get a thin, crispy-edged crust with a slight chew (a perfect Naples dough) and I make two, each with the toppings we both like....everyone is happy.

Mow the lawn if you don't want to cook tonight.......

.....when "1 Pull" (our lawnmower of 15 years) went "No Pull" we batted around the idea of "Going Green", but which way?
Battery or Electric?

Difference in price and hubby's reluctance to trust a battery, got us a new Black & Decker Green Machine or should I say Orange ?(electric of course)
I wanted to learn how to use it so I helped him to assemble it. Last week I mowed the backyard and he did the front.
Oh, we also bought a new trimmer. How come he gets all the toys?

I thought with the hot weekend approaching I would help him out (being today really is the perfect day to do yard work) and I mowed front, back and trimmed the front.

Guess who's going to sit on a dock and drink very cold, islandy-type drinks tonight?
Yeppy........me. Yippee!! It worked. I get to splurge.

He thought I was so nice to do the mowing and he wanted to reward me with dinner al fresco at our local Italian lake-side restaurant here in town.

So.....grilled pizza tonight will have to wait till tomorrow night.
I'm going up to take a shower and wait for my chariot.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Rice Balls aka "Zuccacini"

In Italy they stuff rice balls many different ways. I choose to add roasted butternut squash to the rice before forming and frying. Just adds an extra healthiness to what can be a no so healthy dish.

 

The rice balls are GB&D. It's hard to make a rice ball look good enough for it's camera debut.

Risotto

* 3/4 cup short grain brown rice or Orborio rice
* 1/2 cup diced butternut squash
* 2 tbls both unsalted butter and EVOO
* 3 cups simmering chicken broth with 1/2 tsp saffron in it
* 1/2 cup sweet onion, dices
* 1/2 cup red wine
* 3 tbls butter + 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for the end

1. In heavy saucepan, heat oils.
2. Add onions and saute till translucent.
3. Add rice to toast.
4. Add butternut squash and saute for 3 minutes.
5. Add wine to evaporate.
6. Add 2 cups chicken broth and cover, lower heat and simmer 30 minutes.
7. Add the last 1 cup and simmer uncovered until liquid is almost all gone.
8. Add butter and stir in, then 1/2 cup grated cheese (heat off).
9. Put in container into fridge over night.


Zuccacini

* Canola oil for frying.
* 1/2 cup matzo meal & bread crumbs
* 2 slices fresh mozzarella, 1/2" dice
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 cup grated cheese
* 3 tbls flour
* Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat oil to 350-375F.
2. Add beaten egg, flour and 1/2 cup grated cheese to risotto.
3. Mound 1 heaping tablespoon rice into palm of your hand. Make an indent in the middle.
3. Push piece of mozzarella into indent and work the rice to cover. Roll in hands to form a ball.
4. Roll into mixture of matzo & bread crumbs and put on a sheet pan until all is done.
5. Fry for 4 minutes until golden brown & delicious.
6. Drain on cooling rack (not paper towels).
7. Serve with marinara sauce or you can also serve with a bechamel sauce.

THE very best, easiest homemade Hamburger Buns !!!

Today is the perfect day to make dough so since Hamburgers are on the menu and tomorrow it is going to rain, guess what I'm making?














Adapted from Saveur.com

* 2 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
* 1 1/3 cups warm milk (105-120 degrees)
* 1 1/2 tsp Agave Nectar
* 4 cups AP flour
* 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
* 1 egg, beated
* 4 tbls unsalted butter, softened
* 3 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

In a bowl fitted with hook, mix flour, nectar, salt, egg and butter till blended.
Into milk add yeast to proof. When foamy add to mixer and on medium speed (about a 4) mix for at least 8 minutes. Depending on the day, you may need more flour.
I always reserve 1/4 cup to make sure. It's easier to add flour than more liquid.

Cover and let rise 2 hours. Punch down and cut into 12 pieces.
Shape into balls and let rise another 30 minutes.
Place on parchment-lined sheet pan and brush egg wash on tops.
I pressed down on the tops with my fingers so that they would not be so poofy (round).
Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes.
Remove and cool completely.


It is a very elastic puffy dough so I imagine the rolls will be soft. I also like when they add butter to it like a brioche, makes it buttery......lol.

It took only 1 hour to rise outside in the sun.
I weighed them out at 4 oz each which gave me 9 rolls instead of 12.
I want them bigger then the usual.
I guess if I made them 3oz each that would be more in line for a standard 1/4 burger.
I'm making 1/3 pound burgers.....so there.



I let them rise again for 30 minutes, brushed egg over the tops, set the oven to 400F and when pre-heated will bake them for 18-20 minutes.


First 5 buns, there are 4 more in the oven.

I am dying to cut into one to see the inside but I'm trying to practice patience with my baking, you can't rush dough. It needs to cool completely. It doesn't form a good crumb with you cut into it warm. You can always reheat them in the oven or tonight, the grill.
I will give my neighbors 4 of them because they don't keep more than 2 days and I throw more homemade bread away then I care to count.

I highly recommend making these buns, not just for hamburgers, I shaped one into a hoagie-style bun and am eating a sandwich of sliced chicken with it and it's really good.

I can see using these for a Italian Beef Sandwich, also.

Finally...a dry day without carpet waves

I hate carpeting. I hate ceramic tile. I love wooden floors. My house has all three.
Mostly wooden floors where I ripped up the carpet, because I hate carpet anywhere near a kitchen or eating area.
Who makes those kinds of decisions when houses are built?
Why would you put something with crevasses where food will fall and hide?

I'm sorry..... no matter how much you try, you ain't gonna vacuum every day, sorry, no.

I hate ceramic tile because when I come inside with wet sneakers I slip and fall way too much. It scares me. I know this tile is outdated and they make tile with texture but until we tear this house apart, I'm stuck with being afraid to walk on my tile when it rains.......ah ha. Now we get to the crucks of this story.

I live in an old rental house that we bought "as is" for a very good price 14 years ago.
It's near a lake...it was a small town with small town friendliness...everyone knew everyone....it had a backyard (for a vegetable garden I really wanted).....and it was quiet and taxes were good. The perfect retirement home.
Fast forward to 2010.
Taxes have doubled in 5 years, sewers went in so more money goes down the drain (ha,ha), every empty lot (including the one across from us) has been cleared and houses built. The lake has way too many boats on it and it has become dangerous and did I mention the taxes have doubled?

So, do we fix this up so I have no more carpeting, or do we sell it 'as is' and move to the Carolinas?

Carpet Waves definition: when really old carpet stretches and damp weather makes waves or bumps or bubbles.....or 'you can't close the door' swelling.

Italian Vegetable Torte

Tonight's dinner is an Italian Vegetable Torte. Traditionally a torte is a cake baked in a springform pan, and like cheesecakes can be savory as well as sweet.
I like the idea because you roast the vegetables and mix with an egg, cream & cheese mixture and bake in a springform pan. Refrigerate for 3 hours and serve room temp with a salad and some good bread or rolls.
This can be done in the AM while it's still cool.



I thinly sliced about 8 large Shiitake mushrooms and 5 cloves of garlic.
I tossed them with olive oil & Italian seasonings and roasted for 10 minutes in a 400F oven.











I chopped in 1" pieces......1 cup zucchini, 1 cup crookneck squash, 1/2 a red pepper, 2 small shallots, 12 asparagus stems (saving the tops for the stuffed trout later in the week) and mixed the mushroom/garlic with them.


Spread the vegetables in a baking pan and up the temp to 425F and roasted for 40 minutes, stirring at 20 minute time.

It seems like a lot but half of this will go into the fridge for later in the week. If I don't use it I will puree them and make a dip.



Roasted for 40 minutes, I let them cool before I mix with the liquids.
Meanwhile, prep a 6" or 8" springform pan.


Coat with melted butter and sprinkle with 1-2 tbls of grated cheese.
In processor or blender, mix 4 eggs with 1/2 cup ricotta and mascarpone cheese, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan. Mix chiffonade of 6 basil leaves in by hand.
Add cooled vegetables and pour the egg/vegetable mixture into pan, placing onto a sheet pan to catch any leaks and bake at 375F for at least 30 minutes, checking at 25 (I ended up baking mine for a full 35 minutes because it was pretty thick in the 6" pan).


Mixture should be slightly wiggly but not jiggly. Remove and cool for 30 minutes then cover and place in chill chest for 3 hours.



Unmold by running a sharp knife along the inside of the pan and place on a steady object (I used a small lidded jar). Slowly release the spring and gently slide pan down. It should come out perfectly. If you feel any resistance close the spring and run the knife around again. If you buttered and cheesed the pan before, once it bakes and sets, eggs shrink. It should release.


Leftover sauce from the other night with some grilled chicken. Hubby is picking up some good bread, I am lightly heating the dishes in the oven, a cold bottle of Vouvray (the Pinot Grigio of France) and we are good to go.
I am so glad the rain held off until we finished dinner. I look forward to eating alfresco.

Compromise.......who really wins?

Today my thoughts are traveling down that dangerous road of 'Different Strokes for Different Folks'.
It all started with maple syrup....yup. Plain ole' sweet, earthy, did I say sweet maple syrup.
I can actually sum up me & my husband with this analogy.
Hubby likes the supermarket brand of dark amber Grade A maple syrup.
I like the organic Vermont farm named dark amber Grade A maple syrup.

Hubby grew up with about 10 basic standard revolving bi-weekly dinners that a harried, Irish mother of 6 would cook (mind you all 1 year apart).
I grew up eating fresh backyard grown vegetables, and tripe (amongst other unique items not really known about in the 50's). My grandparents grew every thing, had a donkey (don't ask, I never did), chickens, ducks, rabbits, wine grapes and this was all in a small plot of land in Jersey City NJ. I learned to roll pasta and dry it on a sheet on Nonna's bed when I was 8.

Every Saturday in hubby's home there was a platter of legs and thighs in Shake 'n Bake, many little blue boxes of mac n cheese, or when in the mood a baked London broil (for about 1 hour), and tons and tons of deli meat sandwiches (of which she put 1 piece of meat and 1 piece of cheese on each). Hubby had a bologna sandwich every day for school from Kindergarten to 8th grade. I still do not believe it but I gotta hope it's true, he wouldn't lie to me, would he?

He grew up on Wonder Bread, I grew up on Pepperidge Farm wheat bread.

I'm a foodie and I was determined to uplift hubby's tastes to fish and shellfish like mussels, clams and oysters (which he never had till he met me) and pasta with real sauces, unfrozen vegetables and real steaks on a grill (not tube steaks). I could go on forever but I think you get the picture.

After many years, compromise is the order for a long happy marriage. Not just with money or furniture or tangible things, but food too. If I give him a hamburger a month, a box of mac n cheese with bread crumbed chicken and a pizza, I can cook just about anything else I want the rest of the month.

Since leftovers are always the lunch du jour the next day, when I come down and find that Chinese Take-Out container still on the shelf in the refridgerator I know he wasn't really all that thrilled about dinner. That's when I swear I won't waste any more of my time cooking for a neophyte .

Then I get sad because that means I can't have the things I want to eat......sigh.

This week on the menu I put a Grilled Whole Red Snapper, Stuffed Trout and a Vegetable Torte with grilled fresh vegetables and he asked for a Hamburger (no cheese just a slice of tomato), Chicken Wings (just plain grilled wings) and macaroni and cheese (I did manage to put some good Italian cheeses in there).

I am so jealous of other blogs that post dishes that I wish I could make but I know it will end up in a Chinese Take-Out container on a shelf in the refrigerator the next day.

Avec Eric and My Whole Roasted Red Snapper

I love Eric Ripert. I am not a fan of the Parisian French. We had several horrible experiences with the way they treat Americans. They pretend to not understand English but don't buy it...if they tell you that, just walk away and find a place you can walk into, like a bar or restaurant. You will get more information from them if they think you will purchase something. Trust me, you have to be as sneaky as they are.

When we took the speed train to the South of France for the week it was totally different.
They were nice and normal and most of them tried to speak English, well in most of the larger towns they did, but we didn't always do the larger towns......one day we got lost somewhere in Aix en Provence (I had no idea were we were driving), we stopped in a small town with a castle in it and maybe 5 stores and a bar (I wish I had a castle in my town).
Believe it or not (this must sound like out of a movie), we forgot the bottle opener and wanted to picnic there.
We had just visited a private, small Aix-en-Provence winery, with 6 bottles clutched to our chests and had some wonderful cheeses from Marseilles to take with us to eat along the way but no way to open the wine.

They must have thought we were freakin' American nut cases, making all hand motions of opening a wine bottle..........OMG it was too funny.
They were as nice as could be and we did score some delicious pastries but, alas, no opener.
We finally found what would be their equivalent to Walmart in the USA and bought a rabbit ear opener for about $2.00.

Anyways.....I like the French Chefs who are Americanized. I would hope to afford Le Bernardin one day, but as close to his cooking and the restaurant I will get, is recipes from his PBS show Avec Eric.

Tonight I am making Whole Roasted Red Snapper with Thai Spices and Coconut Rice and Stouffer's Spinach Souffle.

It is too humid and hot to grill anything outside and with the air on I can use the oven (it requires only 30-35 minutes to bake). A visit to Whole Foods yesterday, scored me a 1 pound, beautifully cleaned and fresh red snapper, one of my favorite fishes.



On my list of foods to make this summer, is grill or roast a whole fish.
Hubby went to visit Mom and I will have peace and quiet to cook away my afternoon.



This recipe is deceptively simple. Usually restaurant chef's have multi-level recipes inside recipes but with this one, you make a marinade and baste the fish with it while it's roasting. I baked mine for 25 minutes (it was a small fish). Hubby will be late (accident on Rte 80) I will cut off the head. I wasn't sure how it would keep with the head on.

Yes, I admit that one of my favorite prepared foods is Stouffers Spinach Souffle. I could eat it every night of the week.

Thyme Squared Lemon Grilled Chicken Fajitas

For the last week food contest on Food52, the 'theme' was lemon-thyme and your grill.

I knew there would be a bunch of chicken or fish recipes because its a natural marriage.

Wanting to be different, I would grill the chicken then simmer it in a flavorful sauce, somewhat like Rao's Famous Lemon Roasted Chicken.

I made ole faithful Spago dough with the usual AP flour, yeast, but I replaced a 1/2 cup water with a 1/2 cup lemon juice, I used Meyer Lemon olive oil instead of EVOO, lemon zest, honey, salt and lots of fresh thyme. I was afraid the acid in the lemon might kill the yeast but it actually reacted the other way and gave me a very airy, puffy dough. (It also smelled wonderful after it had risen)



I divided the dough into 12 balls and let them rise on a board. As soon as the grill was ready I rolled 6 small fajita breads to a 7x5" size and grilled them dry.

I prepared a wet rub for half a whole chicken (remember it's only 2 people) using a mortar & pestle.
Crushing 6 garlic cloves with salt, I added 1/2 a Serrano pepper (seeds too), black pepper and Meyer Lemon olive oil to a paste consistency and rubbed it all over the chicken, especially under the skin. It sat in the refrigerator for 2 hours while I grilled the breads.

Next I made the sauce.
I cut a red onion into rounds, squeezed the juice from a large lemon, 1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup Meyer Lemon olive oil, 6 pitted & sliced green olives (the good marinaded ones at the olive bar, not the martini ones), 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs of lemon verbena, 3 springs of lemon thyme, the remaining half of the chili, 1/2 cup white wine and salt & pepper. I put the sauce in an aluminum pan and placed that over the coals until it reduced in half.

Chicken went on next.
Skin side down until golden brown (about 5 minutes), flipped it over and put the grill cover on for 25 more minutes. Once grilled it went into the sauce, covered that with foil, put that on the grill and let it steam for an additional 5-10 minutes. It all depends on the heat level from your coals.
By this time they were not red hot and it worked out perfectly.
When done, remove and let it rest in the pan for 15-20 minutes before carving.

I carved the chicken into bite-sized pieces and served it with the breads, the lemon-mustard sauce, roasted peppers and chopped fresh tomatoes. You could add any condiments your family might like but this is what we chose.

The first bite was all lemon, but then your mouth got a hold of the onions, peppers, the warm thyme taste, then the briny olives and ended with the sweet fresh tomatoes
and WOW !!!!

As it dripped down my hand "Finger Licking Good" took on a new definition.

After that meal and a bottle of Markham Sauvignon Blanc, I was feeling just too good to sit in front of my puter typing this recipe so I missed the deadline. Maybe another contest.
The beauty of this dough was it could be a pizza dough with the chicken and sauce and the condiments as toppings just add cojita cheese or even Chihuahua cheese.
It could be rolls for chicken burgers or fish taco wrappings, the use is endless.